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Hlafter earns national architectural honor

Posted June 14, 2004; 03:28 p.m.

by quinones

University Architect Jon Hlafter has been honored for his significant contributions to the profession by selection to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

He was invested during the AIA 2004 National Convention and Design Exposition in Chicago June 10-12.

The fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.

Out of a total AIA membership of nearly 72,000, there are fewer than 2,500 distinguished with the honor of fellowship.

Hlafter earned bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from Princeton in 1961 and 1963, respectively. He joined the Princeton staff in 1968 and was appointed director of physical planning in 1969. Earlier this year, he was named University architect.

"With unabated enthusiasm, care and professionalism, Mr. Hlafter has overseen the preservation and adaptive reuse of a unique collection of buildings dating from 1756, and the development of new structures that are exemplars of contemporary endeavors," wrote Princeton Trustee Emerita Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk in nominating him for the award. "It is a significant tribute to his work that the transition from old to new on campus is virtually seamless and that the Princeton University campus can be considered a national treasure."

Hlafter has been responsible for the management of hundreds of construction projects at Princeton. His work has ranged from overseeing the renovation of the Princeton Inn (now Forbes College) from a hotel to a residential college in 1971 to the construction of the Frist Campus Center, which involved an addition to and renovation of the building that formerly housed the physics department, in 2000.

He has worked on the construction and renovation of many classroom buildings and laboratories as well as a number of dormitories. His work also is reflected in Princeton Stadium, the art museum addition and the Berlind Theatre. He has coordinated award-winning projects by notable architects such as Robert Venturi, Rafael Vinoly and I.M. Pei.